Burning Through the Sky-Freddie Mercury

I have a wicked crush on Freddie Mercury.

The origin of my obsession:

When the film Bohemian Rhapsody was released last year, Queen fans rejoiced that Queen’s story, and particularly Freddie’s, was finally produced after a few false starts. The reviews ranged from glowing to unenthusiastic. Many critics decided Rami Malek captured him perfectly, some lamented that any portrayal of Freddie fell short because the film glossed over parts of Freddie’s life and certainly took liberties with the truth. I must, I thought, check out Queen someday. I didn’t think of it again until it began streaming on HBO and I was curious enough to see just what made Freddie Mercury a musical icon to so many.

Bohemian Rhapsody chronicled Freddie Mercury and Queen’s journey from the stereotypical beginnings of any talented band to their triumphant 1985 Live Aid performance. Some context: I graduated from high school in 1972. It’s a bit disconcerting to fall head over heels a little late in the game, but there you have it. However, it seems I wasn’t totally out of the Rock loop as a teenager. There were songs I did know well — Bohemian Rhapsody, Love of My Life, Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, We Are the Champions, We Will Rock You, Keep Yourself Alive, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Back then, though, my tastes mostly ran to a different set of…